Middle Earth Ranger Forum

We know that Hobbits have braces (Lobelia Sackville-Baggins nee Bracegirdle), so I don't think that they are unreasonable for Bree. Just finished a test set. The runes are the poem "All woods must fail"

All Woods Must Fail

O! Wanderers in the shadowed land
Despair not! For though dark they stand,
All woods there be must end at last,
And see the open sun go past:
The setting sun, the rising sun,
The day's end, or the day begun.
For east or west all woods must fail.

They are currently leather with 1 1/2" cotton webbing. I'm thinking the real set will be with hemp webbing of the same width matched with tablet woven band.

Thoughts, suggestions, critique? (BTW, this is where I'm going.)

I fail to see how any critique could be leveled, they are beautiful.

The only possible comment I have would be that given the fine leatherwork a simple hempen strap may not match. They certainly look like something a well to do gentle-hobbit would wear and so perhaps some colour or a finer fabric may be in order?

You can still do fine fabric in a muted fashion so as not to disturb your overall aesthetic, here is a band of fine linen card woven s/z that I had made a few years back. It is far too narrow but I feel something like that would work better or is that what you meant by the hemp webbing with tablet weave? You plan to use hemp as a backing to a wool tablet weave to stop it stretching?

That is just exquisite... is that leather theowl's work? are the buckles yours?
I think tablet weaving would be amazing with that. How fun!


.... IF you care...I read Aragorn's mention that "Rangers use runes" to imply that most common folk of Eriador write in tengwar if they write at all, and the Cirth aren't common knowledge. But I could easily be wrong on that point, it's been quite some time since I've looked into the question. And even if that is the case - such a fine piece of work might well have been done in a more ancient script by a learned hand (or rendered by Dwarves?) so there's room to finagle.

Eofor wrote: ↑Mon Feb 21, 2022 10:51 pm I fail to see how any critique could be leveled, they are beautiful.

The only possible comment I have would be that given the fine leatherwork a simple hempen strap may not match. They certainly look like something a well to do gentle-hobbit would wear and so perhaps some colour or a finer fabric may be in order?

You can still do fine fabric in a muted fashion so as not to disturb your overall aesthetic, here is a band of fine linen card woven s/z that I had made a few years back. It is far too narrow but I feel something like that would work better or is that what you meant by the hemp webbing with tablet weave? You plan to use hemp as a backing to a wool tablet weave to stop it stretching?

Caedmon, Sir, is no gentle-hobbit. Just a man, and Archet-town pot founder. I think a sturdy strap is best, especially when breaking the bot out of a furnace and letting the molten bronze find it's new home. But linen would suffice as well as hemp. I simply need something better than cotton.

My current idea was just to buy a heavy duty webbing out of an appropriate period material and applique a finer thin piece of tablet weaving to it.

Perhaps hobbit fashion is taking over in Archet?

From a historical standpoint I know of at least one Migration period sword baldric that uses a beautiful wollen tablet weave stitched to a leather backing so your idea is sound and has provenence.

Elleth wrote: ↑Tue Feb 22, 2022 1:01 am That is just exquisite... is that leather theowl's work? are the buckles yours?
I think tablet weaving would be amazing with that. How fun!

No, the leather's all mine. The buckles are some I had lying around. I don't really have a sense of bree-ish work. I've been so focused on interpreting the Professor's Numenorean scribbles.

Elleth wrote: ↑Tue Feb 22, 2022 1:01 am .... IF you care...I read Aragorn's mention that "Rangers use runes" to imply that most common folk of Eriador write in tengwar if they write at all, and the Cirth aren't common knowledge. But I could easily be wrong on that point, it's been quite some time since I've looked into the question. And even if that is the case - such a fine piece of work might well have been done in a more ancient script by a learned hand (or rendered by Dwarves?) so there's room to finagle.

Hmmm, well now. I had always assumed that the world was in a transitional state on alphabets... like in the 9th century in England. I was about to pull out "G.. for Grand!" but then I went and re-read it.


My intent is to be a regular tradesman, wearing good local stuff, not someone with lots of trade goods. On the other hand, Bree is where that sort of stuff is going to be filtering out from. Going to have to think about this. I've actually been planning to pull some Unicorns and Fairies out of my back story and drop Caedmon's mixed dunedain heritage.

Grrr. Back to square 1.

Hunh - I'd completely forgotten.
We talked over the question before, and Udwin found what looks like a pretty solid answer in HoME!

viewtopic.php?t=3679

And I'm sorry to bring up a roadbump... if you're reworking them for Caedmon, perhaps the ones you have can still be a part of daily geek and about-the-forge wear? They look amazing!

Beautiful work! We have come so far as a community, to be discussing the minute of Breelanders' decorative uses of alphabets on a pair of Braces now after over a decade ago having several different threads on "What bow should I get?"

What a world we're living in!

Wow those are great!

caedmon wrote: ↑Tue Feb 22, 2022 5:11 am Grrr. Back to square 1.

Perhaps not!?!

It seems to me you may have gone tantalisingly close to your own answer without realising it. The passage you shared is followed by the line

Hence the excitement of the hobbit-children. 'G for grand!' they shouted.

Perhaps others may read this differently than I but that to me sounds like they are talking about the G rune on the fireworks which must mean that they can read either cirith, tengwar or both.

Eofor wrote: ↑Tue Feb 22, 2022 4:49 am Perhaps hobbit fashion is taking over in Archet?

From a historical standpoint I know of at least one Migration period sword baldric that uses a beautiful wollen tablet weave stitched to a leather backing so your idea is sound and has provenence.

Completely off-topic but do you have an image for something like that? I’ve been waffling back and forth on whether to make a leather collar for my dog or to get a tablet-woven collar. That is intriguing that I might be able to combine the two ideas.

Cimrandir wrote: ↑Tue Feb 22, 2022 9:44 pm Completely off-topic but do you have an image for something like that? I’ve been waffling back and forth on whether to make a leather collar for my dog or to get a tablet-woven collar. That is intriguing that I might be able to combine the two ideas.

I do. The piece in question is the famous Snartemo braid..... The one that caused such a fluster in the SCA a few years back as it contains fylfots which are often (and reasonably) confused with swastikas. The band is so fine that it would have to have been stitched to leather or it would have stretched badly from the weight of the sword.
There is a chance of course as with all grave goods that it wasn't actually a functional piece and that it was purely intended as a furnishing.

I will post a few pics here, they are rather innocuous in my eyes but if anyone takes offence or wishes me to take them down then they need but PM me and I will do so.

Those are absolutely beautiful

I'm kinda behind on this thread tho, but if your concern is that runes are not right for your impression, and you don't want to change them, you could just decide that they are from dwarven traders?

Its almost a pity to wear them under your tunic

Elleth wrote: ↑Tue Feb 22, 2022 11:24 am Hunh - I'd completely forgotten.
We talked over the question before, and Udwin found what looks like a pretty solid answer in HoME!

viewtopic.php?t=3679

And I'm sorry to bring up a roadbump... if you're reworking them for Caedmon, perhaps the ones you have can still be a part of daily geek and about-the-forge wear? They look amazing!

Wow, That must have come through in one of my extended absences. I had always imagined that Cirth and Tengwar were used interchangeably, with Tengwar being slightly more common.

Oh well. good thing these are the test set.